New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Ingrepu’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Ingrepu’ characterised by its large pink flowers with small red eye, early flowering, dark foliage, ball shaped growth habit with good basal branching, strong growing and good outdoor vigor.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Impatiens hawkeri.

Varietal denomination: ‘Ingrepu’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct New Guinea Impatiens plant botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri and referred to by the cultivar name ‘Ingrepu.’

The new cultivar was developed in a controlled breeding program conducted by the inventor in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The new New Guinea Impatiens cultivar is characterized by an early flowering response, large flowers with attractive coloration and a good flowering behavior under field conditions.

The new cultivar is propagated from cuttings resulting from the cross in September 1998 of the proprietary New Guinea Impatiens selection identified as ‘E109-1’ as female parent and the proprietary New Guinea Impatiens selection identified as ‘E 66-3’ as male parent. ‘E109-1’ is not commercially available and has not been patented. ‘E 66-3’ is not commercially available and has not been patented.

As a result of this cross the present cultivar was selected in September 1999 in Enkhuizen, Netherlands and has been repeatedly asexually reproduced by cuttings in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, in Gilroy, Calif., and in Angers, France over a period of several years. The distinctive characteristics of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction. It takes 8 to 10 weeks to produce a finished plant, starting from a rooted plug and planted in a 12 cm pot, depending on the temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Ingrepu.’ These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Ingrepu’ as a new and distinct New Guinea Impatiens cultivar.

-   -   1. Large pink flowers with small red eye     -   2. Ball shaped growth habit with flowers on top of the foliage     -   3. Dark foliage     -   4. Good basal branching     -   5. Good outdoor vigor

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens differ primarily from the plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens have pink flowers with small red eye whereas the plants of the female plant selection have lilac flowers.

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens have dark foliage whereas the plants of the female plant selection have green foliage.

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens differ primarily from the plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristic:

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens have large pink flowers with small red eye whereas the plants of the male selection have medium sized pink-rose flowers.

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens can be compared to plants of ‘Kallima,’ disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,146. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the inventor in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens differed from plants of ‘Kallima’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens have dark leaves with         pink colored flowers with small red eye, whereas the plants of         the cultivar ‘Kallima’ have green-colored leaves with bright         pink flowers.     -   2. Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens have a ball shaped         growth habit, whereas the plants of the cultivar ‘Kallima’ have         a bush shaped growth habit and are more upright growing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

This new New Guinea Impatiens plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographic drawing which shows blooms, buds and foliage of the plant in full color, the color showing being as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctive characteristics of this new New Guinea Impatiens. The data which defines these characteristics were collected from asexual reproductions carried out in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The plant history was taken on 30 week old plants, blossomed under natural light in the field.

Color readings were taken in the laboratory under ambient light. Color references are primarily to the R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London.

-   The plant:     -   -   Classification.—Botanical: Impatiens hawkeri. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female parent.—Proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection             identified as code number ‘E109-1,’ not patented.         -   Pollen parent.—Proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection             identified as Code number ‘E 66-3,’ not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—Approximately 7-14 days.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Approximately 21 days.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, and white in color. -   Plant description:     -   -   General appearance.—Outwardly spreading, low rounded and             uniform mounted plant growth. -   Habit:     -   -   Growth and branching habit.—Freely branching habit, freely             flowering, vigorous. -   Crop time:     -   -   Plant height.—21-25 cm.         -   Plant spread.—44-45 cm. -   Lateral branch description:     -   -   Length.—20-24 cm.         -   Diameter.—4-6 mm.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Internode length.—1-9 cm.         -   Color.—RHS 187A. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite or in whorls.         -   Length, mature leaves.—6.5-7.2 cm.         -   Width, mature leaves.—2.2 cm.         -   Shape.—Lanceolate.         -   Apex.—Acute to acuminate.         -   Base.—Acute.         -   Margin.—Serrulate with fine cilation.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color young foliage, upper surface.—RHS 146A.         -   Color young foliage, lower surface.—RHS 187A.         -   Fully expanded foliage, upper surface.—RHS 147A.         -   Fully expanded foliage, lower surface.—RHS 187A.         -   Venation, upper surface.—RHS 185A.         -   Venation, lower surface.—RHS 187C.         -   Petiole length.—About 0.7-1 cm.         -   Petiole diameter.—About 2.5 mm.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Color.—RHS 185A. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and flowering habit.—Single.         -   Number of flowers per leaf axial.—2.         -   Number of flowers and flower buds per lateral branch.—4-6.         -   Flower position.—Above and beyond the foliage and typically             facing upwards and outward.         -   Flower shape.—Rounded, mostly flat.         -   Flowers lasting.—About 10 days on the plant depending on             environmental conditions.         -   Petals.—Self cleaning.         -   Gynoecium.—Persistent.         -   Flowers.—Not fragrant.         -   Flowering.—Indeterminate and continuous.         -   Flowering season.—Year round under greenhouse conditions. In             the garden, flowering from spring until fall.         -   Flower length.—About 5.7-6 cm.         -   Flower width.—About 5.3-5.7 cm.         -   Flower depth.—About 0.2 cm. -   Flower buds:     -   -   Bud length.—About 1.6 cm.         -   Bud diameter.—About 1.1 cm.         -   Bud shape.—Ovoid.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Color, just before opening.—RHS 85C. -   Petals:     -   -   Quantity.—Single, five per flower, imbricate.         -   Length of banner petal.—About 2.7-2.9 cm.         -   Width of banner petal.—About 3.5-4 cm.         -   Length lateral and basal petals.—About 2.9-3.4 cm.         -   Width lateral and basal petals.—About 2.7-3 cm.         -   Lateral and basal petal shape.—Obcordate.         -   Banner petal shape.—Obcordate.         -   Petal apex.—Retuse to emarginate.         -   Petal base.—Attenuate.         -   Petal margin.—Entire.         -   Petal texture.—Smooth, satiny.         -   Petal.—Upper surface: When opening and fully opened: RHS             68C. Near middle: RHS N57A. Lower surface: When opening and             fully opened: RHS 62A. Near middle: RHS 62D. Vein: RHS N57A. -   Spur:     -   -   Length.—About 4 cm.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Aspect.—Curved.         -   Color.—RHS 60A. -   Peduncles:     -   -   Length.—About 4 cm.         -   Strength.—Strong, flexible.         -   Diameter.—2 cm.         -   Aspect.—About 45° from the stem.         -   Color.—RHS 185A. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Androecium.—Stamen number: Five fused at anthers, filaments             free, hooded.         -   Anther shape.—Oval.         -   Anther length.—About 4 mm.         -   Anther color.—RHS 51A.         -   Amount of pollen.—No pollen. -   Gynoecium:     -   -   Pistil number.—One.         -   Pistil length.—About 5 mm.         -   Stigma shape.—Columnar, five segmented.         -   Stigma color.—Red-purple/colorless.         -   Style color.—RHS 62D.         -   Ovary arrangement.—Five celled.         -   Ovary color.—RHS 187A.         -   Seed development.—Seed development has not been observed. -   Disease and pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests     common to Impatiens has not been observed. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Ingrepu’, as substantially illustrated and described herein. 